Corporate Advocacy Program: The best way to manage and repair your business reputation. Hiding negative complaints is only a Band-Aid. Consumers want to see how businesses take care of business. All businesses will get complaints. How those businesses take care of those complaints is what separates good businesses from bad businesses.

Because Enterprise Leasing (Kirkwood) was direct billing for my insurance company it was arranged for me to lease a car at the Kirkwood branch on Wed, Nov 21. I even received a call from Kirkwood, while in route, telling me that they had cars waiting for me. I had just experienced a car accident, shaken up, and needed to get back to work.

When I arrived at the branch, Erica told me she only had one vehicle available for me to lease and that it was "really nice." It was a two door Chrysler convertible 200, but much smaller than what I drive. I explained to her that I drive a (4) door Mercedes E350 and have kids and really needed something bigger. I asked about other cars that I saw on the lot, she told me that they belong to "owners." My insurance company only paid $30 a day, I even offered to pay any differences, she explained that that was the only car they had available. Because I needed to get to work, I agreed to try it for a day, and bring it back when other cars returned.

Erica set in the car for about 5 minutes (like a desperate salesperson) trying to convince me to pay for extra insurance for almost $16 dollars a day- although I was covered. I had cut her off by saying "no I don’t need it, and I need to get back to work."

I asked her if the car had a Bluetooth, she told me yes, but she didn’t know to use it. The car was dirty in the inside and scratched on the outside. I asked her to note the scratches. I had to ask her to vacuum, and switch out the tags on the car because the plates had expired.

I urgently left to get back to work, however determined to find me something bigger later. While driving the car, I noticed it was still not clean, much smaller in the inside (my children were very uncomfortable) and it did not have Bluetooth.

After learning that my car would not be ready for about 2-3 weeks I was determined to take that car back the next day. On Nov 21, at approx 7:30 am I called Kirkwood, I was told by Terry they had plenty of cars, however when I told him I was coming to switch out the convertible for a larger car, he said everything he had was smaller. Terry reassured me that he would call me when larger cars started to return, he even asked me to call him before I came out and he would check for me first.

I then called other Enterprise Leasing locations, they all claim to have “plenty of cars”, however when I told them that I had a car from Kirkwood that I wanted to switch for something bigger, they all claim to no longer have any cars bigger ( I called several locations). The West Florissant location, looked in the system and told me that I had to take the car back to Kirkwood to switch out, and that they could not switch it. This was the first I had heard of that. However, I was advised by several locations that they saw plenty of cars available in the system at Kirkwood. I called Kirkwood again, Terry was adamant that they did not have anything, and for me to call back around 4:30-5:30 and that he would call me if earlier. They close at 6:00pm.

I called Terry at Kirkwood around 4:45pm, he said he still had no cars and that he expected more about 5:30 and that he would call me. I called the Chesterfield location and they advised that Kirkwood showed plenty of cars in the system and that I should call them back. I was upset at this point, so I asked one of my co-workers to call Kirkwood. Terry answered, and told her they had larger cars available. At this point, I contacted my insurance company extremely upset by this ordeal, and not really understanding why they were being unethical with me. At about 4:55pm, the insurance company performed a (3) way with the Kirkwood Leasing Office, Erica answered and explained to them that “they had plenty of cars.” After learning I was on the phone, she said they arrived within the last 15 minutes. I had just talked to Terry 10 minutes before that- no cars. I expressed my concern over their outright lying, and that I did not want to deal with this location ever again. I advised her and my insurance company that I was going to file a formal complaint against Enterprise Leasing Kirkwood. She then wanted to help me find other locations to get a vehicle, since I refused to come back there. She even left me a voice message after the (3) way call indicating that my calls earlier to other locations was in the system and that she would call them back on my behalf. After all the calls I made this entire day trying to get help, why try to help me now?

I learned that because Kirkwood had the reservation, no other Enterprise would get paid for it. This is why other locations were not willing to switch out the Convertible for any of their larger cars.

Why wouldn’t any of the leasing locations just tell me this when I called? Most importantly Enterprise Kirkwood who WAS getting paid, why wouldn’t they give me a larger car?

I contacted my insurance company while at a Enterprise Hazelwood Branch and told them that I wanted the Kirkwood branch cancelled immediately and that I wanted to switch the reservation over to the Hazelwood location, so that I could get a premium car. I explained to my insurance company, regardless, I did not want Enterprise Kirkwood to get another dime of their money. This happened within minutes. I was able to leave the Convertible Chrysler at the Hazelwood Branch and drive off with a car that I was accustomed to driving. Thanks to Enterprise Leasing Hazelwood Branch!

Corporate Advocacy Program: The best way to manage and repair your business reputation. Hiding negative complaints is only a Band-Aid. Consumers want to see how businesses take care of business. All businesses will get complaints. How those businesses take care of those complaints is what separates good businesses from bad businesses.